How to Rethink Your Goals Without Giving Up on Them

The other day, I was resting and watching reels (productivity requires balance!), and I came across some content that was expressing concern at the negative impact of resolutions and goals. It struck a  chord, because I’ve experienced that. Feeling like you let yourself down, like you are inadequate, or wondering how everyone else has it together, but you just never can get there. 

Pause for a moment and consider whether your goals are helping or hindering you.  Do you have a clear picture of your progress, or are you telling yourself stories about it? If your goals are not setting you up for success, don’t toss them. Rethink them. Maybe shorter term goals work better for you. Maybe the goals you set were unrealistic – adjusting them isn’t a failure, it’s a choice grounded in your reality. If something changed in your life, accommodate it. Goals are not immutable, and they belong to you. You have the power to change them. 

Instead of listening to the voices in your head about how you are doing, tracking gives you a clear picture, grounded in data. It can let you know if your plan is helping you hit your goal, and provide indicators of what might need to be adjusted. Tracking doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s just a tool to help you execute your plan and meet your goal.

If your goals need reviewing, take a step back and ask yourself:

• What was the original target?
• What assumptions did I make?
• What changed?
• What does the data say?

Use your answers to decide if the goal was right, and you just need to put some work in, or if the goal needs adjusting. And if you adjust your goal, make sure to adjust your plan and your tracking as well, so all your tools are helping you succeed.

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